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On Friday, Sept. 20, Constellation Energy Corp. in Baltimore announced it had signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft that will allow it to restart Unit 1 and have it back in service as early as 2028. Constellation will change the name of the plant to the Crane Clean Energy Center.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œPowering industries critical to our nationÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s global economic and technological competitiveness, including data centers, requires an abundance of energy that is carbon-free and reliable every hour of every day, and nuclear plants are the only energy sources that can consistently deliver on that promise,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Joe Dominguez, ConstellationÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s president and CEO, said in FridayÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s announcement.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œBefore it was prematurely shuttered due to poor economics, this plant was among the safest and most reliable nuclear plants on the grid, and we look forward to bringing it back with a new name and a renewed mission to serve as an economic engine for Pennsylvania.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

There are so many layers to this development that they can scarcely be listed in a short article, let alone explain them in detail. One immediate consideration is how the restart of Three Mile Island shows that nuclear power is necessary if the national economy is to supply data centers, AI growth and electric vehicles with the power they need if official policy is to discourage the use of coal and natural gas.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said of the announcement, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œPennsylvaniaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s nuclear energy industry plays a critical role in providing safe, reliable, carbon-free electricity that helps reduce emissions and grow PennsylvaniaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s economy.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

ConstellationÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s announcement referred to a recent economic impact study commissioned by the Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council that found the new CCEC will create 3,400 direct and indirect jobs and add more than 800 megawatts of carbon-free electricity to the grid. The report, produced by The Brattle Group, also found that restarting the plant will add $16 billion to the stateÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s GDP and generate more than $3 billion in state and federal taxes. No wonder Shapiro is happy.

Nuclear energy is clean in that power plants themselves donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t discharge carbon dioxide and other materials considered pollution into the air, land or water. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s like an electric vehicle ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” the car itself doesnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t pollute, in most parts of the country the electricity that charges the battery comes from gas or coal.

If small modular nuclear reactors make the jump from prototype to commercial operation, we should expect to see nuclear power grow nationwide, including in Appalachia. Companies wanting to reduce their carbon footprints will demand it. The restart of Three Mile Island could be one of many steps taken to revive the nuclear power industry as the nationÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s need for electricity grows.